Electrowetting display device and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

The present inventive concept relates to an electrowetting display device including a lyophobic colloid material and a polymer resin such as an organic layer or a polyimide (PI), and a lyophobic layer including a supporting layer supporting the lyophobic colloid material and using a photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant for a fluorine-based material to be positioned above and for a hardened photoreactive material layer to be positioned below through exposure in a single step without separately performing a hydrophilic treatment and then a water-repellent treatment, thereby reducing the number of processes, the manufacturing time, and the cost.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/748,700, filed Jan. 24, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No.8,982,444, issued Mar. 17, 2015, which claims priority to and thebenefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0013290, filed in theKorean Intellectual Property Office on Feb. 9, 2012, and Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2012-0086949, filed in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office on Aug. 8, 2012, the entire contents of which areincorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relaters to an electrowetting display device and amanufacturing method thereof.

DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART

Currently popular flat panel displays include liquid crystal displays(LCDs), plasma display devices (PDPs), organic light emitting displays(OLEDs), field effect displays (FEDs),s electrophoretic displays (EPDs),and electrowetting display devices (EWDs).

Electrowetting display devices produce a gray color in pixels bycontrolling the movement of an oil in water as an electrolyte. Theelectrowetting display device is a display device of a shutter type thatdoes not use a polarizer such that transmittance is good and a gammacharacteristic according to a voltage is represented as linear. Theelectrowetting display device may be of a reflective type or atransmissive type and may be manufactured with a shape that is suitableto an environment in which the display device is used. A backlight maybe used in the transmissive type of electrowetting display device, butis not appropriate for use in a reflective type of electrowettingdisplay device.

SUMMARY

The present inventive concept provides an electrowetting display devicewithout the requirement of performing a hydrophilic treatment or ahydrophobic treatment. Also provided is a method of manufacturing anelectrowetting display device.

An electrowetting display device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept includes: a substrate; a pixel electrodeformed on the substrate; an interlayer insulating layer formed on thepixel electrode; a plurality of partitions formed on the interlayerinsulating layer; and a lyophobic layer formed on the interlayerinsulating layer between the partitions, wherein the lyophobic layer isphase-separated.

A manufacturing method of an electrowetting display device according toan exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept includes:forming a pixel electrode on a substrate; forming an interlayerinsulating layer on the pixel electrode; forming a partition on theinterlayer insulating layer; coating a lyophobic colloid mixed liquid onthe interlayer insulating layer between the partitions; and pre-bakingthe lyophobic colloid mixed liquid, wherein the lyophobic colloid mixedliquid comprises a mixture including a lyophobic colloid material and asupporting layer material, wherein the supporting layer materialcomprises a polymer resin of an organic layer or a polyimide (PI).

Also provided is an electrowetting display device that includes asubstrate; a pixel electrode formed on the substrate; a plurality ofpartitions formed on the pixel electrode; a phase-separatedphotoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer formed on an interlayerinsulating layer between the partitions; and a water-repellent layerformed on the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer.

The present inventive concept further provides a method formanufacturing an electrowetting display device, including: forming apixel electrode on a substrate; coating a photoreactive fluorine-basedsurfactant on the pixel electrode; exposing the coated photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant to be hardened to remove the photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant that is not exposed and to form aphotoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer; forming a plurality ofpartitions at a region where the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactantis removed; and forming a water-repellent layer on the hardenedphotoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrowetting display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an electrowetting displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept.

FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 are cross-sectional views showing each manufacturingstep of an electrowetting display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 7 is a view of a structure and a characteristic of a lyophobiccolloid used in an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept.

FIG. 8 to FIG. 11 are a table and graphs showing a characteristic of alyophobic colloid mixture solution and a pre-baked layer according to anexemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 12 is a photograph picturing a contact angle of an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept and a comparative example.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an electrowetting displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept.

FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 show kinds and characteristics of lyophobic colloidsaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of an electrowetting display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an electrowetting displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept.

FIG. 18 to FIG. 21 are cross-sectional views showing each manufacturingstep of an electrowetting display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 22 is a view of a structure of a photoreactive fluorine-basedsurfactant used in an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept.

FIG. 23 is a view of a characteristic of a photoreactive fluorine-basedsurfactant changed by exposure in an exemplary embodiment of the presentinventive concept.

FIG. 24 is a view of a structure of an embodiment of Rf C4α-X of a Rfgroup of the lyophobic colloid of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present inventive concept will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplaryembodiments of the inventive concept are shown. As those skilled in theart would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in variousdifferent ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of thepresent inventive concept.

In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc.,are exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals designate likeelements throughout the specification. It will be understood that whenan element such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to asbeing “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element orintervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an elementis referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are nointervening elements present.

The electrowetting display device uses a process for forming a thin filmtransitor (TFT) like other flat panel displays, such as for instance aliquid crystal display, however a filling process for filling the waterand the oil is required. For normal operation of the electrowettingdisplay device, a layer positioned under the oil is hydrophobic, i.e. iswater-repellent, however it is difficult to form a hydrophilic layerwhich is partitioned from the water-repellent layer. To form thispartitioned hydrophilic layer, a reactive ion etching (RIE) treatmentmay be performed on the water-repellent layer. After the partition isformed, the oil is filled and the water-repellent layer may bethermally-reflowed to have a suitable hydrophobicity for the operationof the electrowetting display device.

As described above, to provide separated hydrophilic and the hydrophobiclayers, a plurality of processes are required making the manufacturingprocess complicated and increasing the manufacturing time, andconsequently the cost of production is increased. Also, after the reflowprocess the water-repellent layer may not have sufficient hydrophobicitysuch that an oil filling defect may be formed and abnormal operation ofthe electrowetting display device may occur.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept the electrowetting displaydevice includes: a substrate; a pixel electrode formed on the substrate;an interlayer insulating layer formed on the pixel electrode; aplurality of partitions formed on the interlayer insulating layer; and alyophobic layer formed on the interlayer insulating layer between thepartitions. wherein the lyophobic layer is phase-separated.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept the lyophobic layer mayinclude a lyophobic colloid material and a supporting layer, thelyophobic colloid material may be positioned above the supporting layer.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept the lyophobic colloid materialmay include an Rf group; the Rf group can be for instance, Rf C4α-X.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept the lyophobic colloid materialmay be a liquid repellent agent of Daikin.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept the supporting layer mayinclude an organic layer or a polyimide resin.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a black oil layer may bedisposed on the lyophobic layer between the partitions.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a reflecting electrode formedof a material that reflects light may be disposed between the pixelelectrode and the interlayer insulating layer.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept the manufacturing method of anelectrowetting display device includes: forming a pixel electrode on asubstrate; forming an interlayer insulating layer on the pixelelectrode; forming a partition on the interlayer insulating layer;coating a lyophobic colloid mixed liquid on the interlayer insulatinglayer between the partitions; and pre-baking the lyophobic colloid mixedliquid, wherein the lyophobic colloid mixed liquid comprises a mixtureincluding a lyophobic colloid material and a supporting layer material,wherein the supporting layer material comprises a polymer resin of anorganic layer or a polyimide (PI).

In an embodiment of the method of the inventive concept the lyophobiccolloid mixed liquid may be phase-separated by the pre-baking of thelyophobic colloid mixed liquid and may form a lyophobic layer, and thelyophobic layer may include a lyophobic colloid material and asupporting layer.

In an embodiment of the method of the inventive concept the lyophobiccolloid material may be positioned above the supporting layer.

In an embodiment of the method of the inventive concept the lyophobiccolloid material may include an Rf group. In an embodiment of theinventive concept the Rf group may be Rf C4α-X.

In an embodiment of the method of the inventive concept the lyophobiccolloid material may be a liquid repellent agent of Daikin.

In an embodiment of the method of the inventive concept the supportinglayer may include an organic layer of a polymer resin or a polyimide.

In an embodiment of the method of the inventive concept the lyophobiccolloid mixed liquid may be coated through a spin coating method, aspray coating method, an inkjet injecting method, or a polyimide (PI)print method.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept after the pre-baking, themethod may further include forming a black oil layer on the lyophobiclayer between the partitions.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept the method may further includeforming a reflecting electrode of a material that reflects light betweenthe pixel electrode and the interlayer insulating layer.

As described above, the electrowetting display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept may be formed without thenecessity of performing a hydrophilic treatment and a water-repellenttreatment. Therefore, the number of processes may be reduced, decreasingthe manufacturing time and consequently reducing the cost.

Furthermore, the hydrophilic treatment and the water-repellent treatmentare not each performed as a separate layer and consequently, thehydrophobic characteristic is maintained and not deteriorated; defectsproduced during oil filling are avoided, and an operation of theelectrowetting display device is more easily completed.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept an electrowetting displaydevice is provided, wherein the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactantincludes a photoreactive material layer that is hardened by light and afluorine-based material, and the fluorine-based material is positionedabove the hardened photoreactive material layer.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept an electrowetting displaydevice is provided, wherein the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactantis “Megaface RS-72-K” manufactured by DIC company.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept an electrowetting displaydevice is provided, wherein the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactantincludes a compound having a perfluoro alkyl group and a photoreactivematerial.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept an electrowetting displaydevice is provided, wherein a black oil layer is formed on the lyophobiclayer between the partitions.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept an electrowetting displaydevice is provided, wherein the interlayer insulating layer is formed onthe pixel electrode and under the photoreactive fluorine-basedsurfactant layer and the partition.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a method for manufacturing anelectrowetting display device is provided, wherein the method includes:forming a pixel electrode on a substrate; coating a photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant on the pixel electrode; exposing the coatedphotoreactive fluorine-based surfactant to be hardened to remove thephotoreactive fluorine-based surfactant that is not exposed and to forma photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer; forming a partition ata region where the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant is removed;and forming a water-repellent layer on the hardened photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant layer.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a method for manufacturing anelectrowetting display device is provided, wherein the photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant includes a photoreactive material layer thatis hardened by light and a fluorine-based material.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a method for manufacturing anelectrowetting display device is provided, wherein during the exposureof the coated photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant, the coatedphotoreactive fluorine-based surfactant is phase-separated such that thefluorine-based material is positioned above the hardened photoreactivematerial layer.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a method for manufacturing anelectrowetting display device is provided, wherein the photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant is “Megaface RS-72-K” manufactured by DICcompany.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a method for manufacturing anelectrowetting display device is provided, wherein the photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant includes a compound having a perfluoro alkylgroup and a photoreactive material.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a method for manufacturing anelectrowetting display device is provided, wherein a developer isprovided to remove the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant that isnot exposed.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a method for manufacturing anelectrowetting display device is provided, wherein a developer isprovided to remove the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant that isnot exposed, the method further includes after forming thewater-repellent layer, forming a black oil layer on the lyophobic layerbetween the partitions.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept a method for manufacturing anelectrowetting display device is provided, wherein a developer isprovided to remove the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant that isnot exposed, the method further comprising forming an interlayerinsulating layer on the pixel electrode between the forming of the pixelelectrode and the coating of the photoreactive fluorine-basedsurfactant.

An electrowetting display device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept will now be described with reference toaccompanying drawings.

Firstly, a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent inventive concept will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrowetting display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

As shown in FIG. 1, an electrowetting display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept as a transmissiveelectrowetting display device includes a lower substrate 110 formed witha pixel electrode 190, an upper substrate 210 facing the lower substrate110 and formed with a common electrode 270, and electro-optic layers 310and 320 positioned between the lower substrate 110 and the uppersubstrate 210. The lower substrate 110 includes partitions 350 forming aplurality of openings (a space between partitions), and theelectro-optic layers 310 and 320 include a black oil layer 310 and thepartition 350 disposed inside the opening of the partition 350 and anaqueous solution layer 320 positioned between the black oil layer 310and the common electrode 270.

The lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 210 may be flexiblesubstrates made of glass, plastic, or a glass fiber reinforced plastic(FRP).

Gate electrodes 124 connected to a plurality of gate lines extending inone direction are formed on the lower substrate 110. A gate insulatinglayer 140 is made of silicon nitride (SiNx) is formed over lowersubstrate 110 and the gate lines and the gate electrodes 124.

A semiconductor layer 154 made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon isformed on the gate insulating layer 140. The semiconductor layer 154forms a channel of the thin film transistor. A data line and a drainelectrode 175 are formed on the gate insulating layer 140 and thesemiconductor layer 154. The data line extends in a directionperpendicular to the gate line, intersecting the gate line, and a branchextended from the data line forms a source electrode 173. At leastportions of a pair of a source electrode 173 and a drain electrode 175are positioned on the semiconductor layer 154, and they are separatedfrom each other and are opposite to each other on either side of thegate electrode 124.

An ohmic contact is positioned between the semiconductor layer 154, andthe source electrode 173 and the drain electrode 175, reducing contactresistance therebetween.

A passivation layer 180 made of an insulating material such as siliconoxide or silicon nitride or an organic material is formed on the sourceelectrode 173, the drain electrode 175, the semiconductor layer 154, andthe gate insulating layer 140.

A pixel electrode 190 made of a transparent conductive material such asITO (indium tin oxide) or IZO (indium zinc oxide) is formed on thepassivation layer 180.

The passivation layer 180 has a contact hole 185 exposing the drainelectrode 175. The pixel electrode 190 is physically and electricallyconnected to the drain electrode 175 through the contact hole 185.

An interlayer insulating layer 90 is formed on the pixel electrode 190,and the interlayer insulating layer 90 is formed of an inorganicinsulating layer such as silicon nitride (SiNx) or an organic insulator.The interlayer insulating layer 90 may have a function of leveling byremoving any step that may have been generated between the neighboringpixel electrodes 190.

Partitions 350 are formed on the interlayer insulating layer 90. Thepartitions 350 are formed with a matrix shape having openings defining apixel area, and may be made of an organic layer including a black dye.

A lyophobic layer 95 having a lyophobicity property and that isphase-separated is disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 90between the openings of the partitions 350. The lyophobicity layer 95 isa layer originally formed from a mixture of a lyophobic colloid materialand a polymer resin such as an organic layer or a polyimide (PI), thathave been phase-separated such that the lyophobic colloid material ispositioned above the polymer resin, which may bean organic layer such asa polyimide (PI).

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an intermediate in themanufacture of an electrowetting display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, wherein the focusis on layers formed on the lower substrate 110.

To describe the lyophobic layer in detail, FIG. 2 shows an enlargedcross-sectional view of an electrowetting display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

In FIG. 2, the thin film transistor (the gate electrode, the sourceelectrode, the drain electrode, and the conductor layer) formed on thelower substrate 110 is omitted, and only a structure of the pixelelectrode 190 is shown.

A pixel electrode 190 is formed on the lower substrate 110. In FIG. 2,the pixel electrode 190 is integrally formed, however, in reality thepixel electrode 190 is electrically separated for each pixel, eventhough FIG. 2 shows a schematic layer where the pixel electrode 190 isformed and a boundary for each pixel electrode is not shown.

An interlayer insulating layer 90 is formed on the pixel electrode 190and partitions 350 are formed thereon. The interlayer insulating layer90 is not lyophobic (or hydrophobic) such that there is no problemforming the partition 350 on the interlayer insulating layer 90.

A lyophobic layer 95 is formed on the interlayer insulating layer 90 inthe openings between the partitions 350. The lyophobicity layer 95 isphase-separated as shown in FIG. 2. That is, the lyophobicity layer 95includes a lyophobic colloid material 95-2 that separates from and formsa layer above a supporting layer 95-1 that includes a polymer resin,such as the organic layer which may be a polyimide (PI) below.

Next, a manufacturing method of an electrowetting display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive conceptwill be sequentially described with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 6.

FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 are cross-sectional views showing each manufacturingstep of an electrowetting display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 sequentially show each layer formed on the lowersubstrate 110 of the electrowetting display device according to theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 2.

Firstly, a pixel electrode 190 is formed on the lower substrate 110 asshown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the pixel electrode 190 is integrally shownto schematically show the formation position of the pixel electrode 190.However, just as explained above for FIG. 2, in actuality, the pixelelectrode 190 is formed for each pixel and the pixel electrode 190 ofeach pixel is separated from the pixel electrode 190 of every otherpixel.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, an interlayer insulating layer 90 is formed onthe pixel electrode 190. The interlayer insulating layer 90 may beformed of an inorganic insulating layer such as silicon nitride (SiNx)or an alternative organic insulator, and may have the function ofremoving the step generated between the neighboring pixel electrodes190. In addition, the interlayer insulating layer 90 may also have afunction of providing a surface on which the partition 350 disposedthereon can be easily formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, partitions 350 are formed on the interlayerinsulating layer 90. The partitions 350 are formed in a matrix shapehaving openings for defining the pixel area such that a black oil layer310 is confined by the partitions and only moves inside the pixel area.In an embodiment of the inventive concept, the partitions 350 may beformed of an organic layer including a black pigment.

A method of manufacturing the lyophobicity layer 95 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 6.

A black oil layer 310 is formed on the opening and the lyophobic layer95.

Meanwhile, a black matrix 220 having openings is formed under the uppersubstrate 210, and a color filter 230 is formed in the opening of theblack matrix 220. The color filter 230 includes a pigment onlytransmitting a predetermined wavelength or that may be made of a quantumdot (semiconductor nanocrystal) material. The quantum dot material asthe semiconductor material having a crystalline structure with a size ofseveral nanometers includes several hundred to several thousand atoms,and the size thereof is very small such that a surface for a unit volumeis wide and a quantum confinement effect appears. Accordingly, uniquephysical and chemical characteristics that are different from thecorresponding original characteristics of the semiconductor materialappear.

For color display, each pixel PX uniquely represents one of primarycolors (i.e., spatial division) or each pixel PX sequentially representsthe primary colors in turn (i.e., temporal division), such that aspatial or temporal sum of the primary colors is recognized as a desiredcolor. An example of a set of the primary colors includes red, green,and blue colors.

A planarizing layer 250 is formed under the color filter 230 and theblack matrix 220, and a common electrode 270 is formed under theplanarizing layer 250.

Meanwhile, an aqueous solution layer 320 is formed between the partition350 and the black oil layer 310, and the common electrode 270. Theaqueous solution layer 320 is not mixed with the black oil layer 310.

Surface tension of the aqueous solution layer 320 is not changed in thepixel B in which an electric field is not formed between the pixelelectrode 190 and the common electrode 270 such that the black oil layer310 covers the entire corresponding pixel B. Accordingly, the lightincident from a lower side is not emitted in an upper side, and therebyblack is displayed.

Meanwhile, the surface tension of the aqueous solution layer 320 ischanged in the pixel A in which an electric field is formed between thepixel electrode 190 and the common electrode 270 such that the black oillayer 310 is accumulated together, thereby opening the correspondingpixel A. Accordingly, the light incident from the lower side is emittedin the upper side such that the pixel A displays a color according tothe color filter 230.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the color filter 230 may beomitted, and when the flat panel display according to the presentinvention does not include the color filter 230, the pixel A displayswhite such that the flat panel display may be used as a black and whitedisplay device.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the lyophobic colloid material 95-2 and thesupporting layer 95-1 material of a solvent type including the polymerresin such as the organic layer or the polyimide (PI) are mixed(hereinafter referred to as a mixed liquid or a lyophobic colloid mixedliquid) and are coated through a spin coating method, a spray coatingmethod, an inkjet injecting method, or a polyimide (PI) print method.When using the spin coating method or the spray coating method, themixed liquid is coated between the partitions 350 only due to thedifference in surface energy of the partitions 350 and the surfacebetween the partitions. Alternatively, when an inkjet injecting methodis used, the mixed liquid is injected between the partitions 350 to becoated, and when using the polyimide (PI) print method, a resin plate ispatterned and then the mixed liquid is only coated between partitions350 by using the patterned resin plate.

As described above, if the mixed liquid is coated, as shown in FIG. 6,the lyophobic colloid material 95-2 and the supporting layer 95-1material are simply mixed such that the lyophobic colloid material 95-2is uniformly mixed throughout the entire lyophobic layer 95.

Next, the lower substrate 110 coated with the mixed liquid is pre-bakedat a temperature of between about 100° C. to about 200° C. Pre-bakingcauses the mixed liquid to separate and form phase-divided layers thatinclude the lyophobic colloid material 95-2 positioned above thesupporting layer 95-1 that includes the polymer resin, such as theorganic layer or the polyimide (PI) as shown in FIG. 2. The temperatureof the pre-bake process may be chosen according to the material includedin the mixed liquid, and this pre-bake process is performed at therelatively lower temperature between about 100° C. to about 200° C.,whereas the process of baking is performed at a higher temperature. Asdescribed above, the lyophobic layer 95 that is phase-separated by thepre-baking provides a water-repellent layer at the upper surface and theorganic layer at the lower surface such that two layers may be simplyformed through a single coating step followed by pre-baking step.

Next, a characteristic of the lyophobic colloid, a characteristic of thelyophobic layer, and a characteristic of the mixed liquid will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 7 to FIG. 12.

A lyophobic colloid used in an exemplary embodiment of the presentinventive concept will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a view of a structure and a characteristic of a lyophobiccolloid used in an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept.

In an upper side of FIG. 7, a simplified structure of a trademarkedliquid repellent agent of the Daikin company used as the lyophobiccolloid in an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept isshown. The Daikin liquid repellent agent includes a main chain, shown inthe upper panel of FIG. 7, linked in a horizontal direction, and aplurality of Rf groups (indicated by a thick line), and connected toeach other by a spacer and a carbonyl group. The Rf group includes RfC4α-X. The structure of one embodiment of the Rf C4α-X is shown in FIG.24.

In FIG. 24, X may be connected with various structures.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept, the liquid repellent agent ofDaikin, 20 wt % of the fluoroacrylate copolymer is included in a PGMAE(propylene glycol methylether acetate) solution.

In the lower panels of FIG. 7 show the phase separation of the 1 to 5 wt% of a fluoropolymer (such as the liquid repellent agent of Daikin usedin an embodiment of the inventive concept) is added to a polymer resinand is pre-baked such that phase separation occurs to form separatelayers.

That is, in the lower panels of FIG. 7, the phase separation of thepolymer resin and the liquid repellent agent from the lyophobic colloidis schematically shown.

A phase-separation characteristic will now be described in detailthrough three exemplary embodiments in FIG. 8 to FIG. 11, with a focuson the formation of the supporting layer 95-1 formed of an organic layeror a polyimide.

FIGS. 8 to 11 include a table and graphs showing the compositions andstructures of a lyophobic colloid mixture solution and a pre-baked layeraccording to exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept.

Firstly, three exemplary embodiments will be described with reference toFIG. 8. Measurements of the depth profile for each of the respectiveexemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 8 are shown in FIGS. 9 to 11.

In the first exemplary embodiment, 6 wt % of a lyophobic colloid isadded to an organic layer (SOHN-412R8™) and a liquid repellent agent ofDaikin is used as the lyophobic colloid.

In the second exemplary embodiment, 8 wt % of a lyophobic colloid isadded to an organic layer (SOHN-412R8™), and a liquid repellent agent ofDaikin is used as the lyophobic colloid.

In the third exemplary embodiment, 6 wt % of a lyophobic colloid isadded to a polyimide (PI; AL22636) and a liquid repellent agent ofDaikin is used as the lyophobic colloid.

Data of measurements of a depth profile for several of the aboveexemplary embodiments are shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11respectively.

The depth profile in each of FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 is a graphshowing a detected atom concentration (%) of Si2P, C1S, O1S, and F1sfrom X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, after etching with an interval of0.1 minute by using a supporter of 500 V.

FIG. 9 shows the depth profile of the exemplary embodiment depicted inFIG. 8, No. 1. The exemplary embodiment shows the phase-separationgenerated by the pre-bake through the depth profile using a fluoride (F)component included in the liquid repellent agent of Daikin.

In FIG. 9, the percentage of F1s is high (>20%) when the sputtering isstarted and is gradually decreased such that it may be confirmed thatthe phase-separation occurs. Similarly, it may be confirmed that theorganic layer is only positioned where F is not detected. A time that Fis not generated may be detected through the sputtering, the depthetched to the corresponding time (about 0.5 minute) is the lyophobiccolloid material layer 95-2, and the layer thereunder is the supportinglayer 95-1 of the organic layer. When assuming the depth etched by thesputtering with reference to the above time (0.5 minute), according tothe phase-separation by the first exemplary embodiment, the supportinglayer 95-1 of the organic layer has a thickness of from about 400 nm toabout 500 nm, and the lyophobic colloid material 95-2 has a thickness offrom about 24 nm to about 30 nm.

The percentage of F1s also initially appears high in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11as soon as the sputtering is started and is also gradually decreasedsuch that it may be confirmed that the phase-separation occurs. Inconsidering these data, it is assumed that the depth varies inproportion to the etching time.

When pre-baking the mixed liquid of the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 8, No. 2, according to the phase-separation, the supporting layer95-1 of the organic layer has a thickness of from about 400 nm to about500 nm, and the lyophobic colloid material 95-2 thereon has a thicknessof from about 32 nm to about 40 nm.

When pre-baking the mixed liquid of the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 8, No. 3, according to the phase-separation, the supporting layer95-1 of the organic layer has a thickness of from about 1000 Å to about1500 Å, and the lyophobic colloid material 95-2 thereon has a thicknessof from about 60 Å to about 90 Å.

FIGS. 9 to 11, confirm that the phase-separation occurs when the polymerresin of the organic layer or the polyimide (PI) and the lyophobiccolloid material are mixed and pre-baked.

Next, affinity of the lyophobic colloid mixed liquid for DI water(deionized water) will be described to confirm operation of anembodiment of the black oil layer 310 of the electrowetting displaydevice without errors. A large contact angle of the black oil layer 310for DI water is considered a good characteristic for an electrowettingdisplay device according to the present inventive concept.

FIG. 12 is a photograph showing a contact angle of an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept and a comparative example.

FIG. 12 is a photograph showing the contact angle of a lyophobic colloidmixed liquid after the lyophobic colloid mixed liquid is positioned onDI water. The pictures of FIG. 12 are symmetrical about a vertical axis,due to the DI water being positioned under the lyophobic colloid mixedliquid, or reflected by a mirror thereunder, pictured together.

In FIG. 12, the four materials pictured from left to right are: apolyimide (PI; AL22636): a mixed liquid of a lyophobic colloid materialand a polyimide; an organic layer (SOHN-412); and a mixed liquid of alyophobic colloid material and an organic layer.

The mixed liquid including the lyophobic colloid material has a largecontact angle compared with the case of including the polyimide only;and the mixed liquid including the lyophobic colloid material has alarge contact angle compared with the case of including only the organiclayer.

As a result, the lyophobic colloid mixed liquid has a large contactangle for the DI water, and as a result, in the electrowetting displaydevice, the operation characteristic of the black oil layer 310 is thusshown to be good even though the lyophobic colloid mixed liquid isformed under the black oil layer 310.

An electrowetting display device according to anexemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept will now be described with reference toFIG. 13.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an electrowetting displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept.

FIG. 13 is a structure in which a reflecting electrode 191 formed of amaterial that reflects light is formed between the pixel electrode 190and the interlayer insulating layer 90, as distinct from the structureshown in FIG. 2. As explained above, electrowetting display devices maybe of the transmissive display device type or of the reflective displaydevice type. In the case of a transmissive display device (referring toFIG. 1 and FIG. 2), the light provided from a backlight (not shown) istransmitted to display the luminance. In the case of a reflectivedisplay device (referring to FIG. 13), external light is reflected bythe reflecting electrode and is again emitted to the outside to displaythe luminance or to use as a front light (not shown).

In a conventional electrowetting display device, the layer having thehydrophobicity is formed at a position of the interlayer insulatinglayer 90 of the present inventive concept, and in this case, the layeris hydrophobic and may be treated by reactive ion etching (RIE) to havesufficient hydrophilicity to form the partitions 350 thereon. However,according to the electrowetting display device and the manufacturingmethod thereof according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinventive concept, the partitions 350 are easily formed by forming theinterlayer insulating layer 90, and the lyophobic layer 95 may be formedon the interlayer insulating layer 90 through the single pre-baking stepafter depositing the mixed liquid, thereby remarkably reducing thenumber of steps in the manufacturing process. Particularly, thelyophobic layer 95 that is phase-separated by the pre-baking has thecharacteristic of the water-repellent layer at the upperlayer, and thelower layer has the characteristic of an organic layer that two layersmay be readily formed by a single coating step followed by a pre-bakingstep.

In one embodiment of the above method, the liquid repellent agent ofDaikin may be used as the lyophobic colloid material. However, a colloidmaterial that is not miscible with a liquid (including the water) may beused as an alternative to the liquid repellent agent of Daikin, and whenusing a colloid including an Rf group or Rf C4α-X or another lyophobiccolloid, the same characteristics may be obtained.

Next, various examples of the lyophobic colloid according to anexemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept will be described.

FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 show examples and characteristics of lyophobiccolloids according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept.

FIG. 14 shows various lyophobic colloids and components thereofaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.The name of each lyophobic colloid is given in the leftmost column,components thereof are described at the right side, and an “O” meansthat a polymer or a monomer of a corresponding column is included.

In FIG. 15, the molecular weight of each lyophobic colloid provided inFIG. 14 and the contact angle for each material (water, n-HD(n-hexadecane) and BCA (butyl carbitol acetate, also known as diethyleneglycol monobutylether acetate) are disclosed.

Next, an electrowetting display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept will be described withreference to FIG. 16 et seq.

Firstly, a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent inventive concept will be described with reference to across-sectional view of an electrowetting display device shown in FIG.16.

FIG. 16 shows an electrowetting display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept is a transmissiveelectrowetting display device that includes a lower substrate 110 formedwith a pixel electrode 190, an upper substrate 210 facing the lowersubstrate 110 and formed with a common electrode 270, and electro-opticlayers 310 and 320 positioned between the lower substrate 110 and theupper substrate 210. The lower substrate 110 includes partitions 350forming a plurality of openings (spaces between partitions), and theelectro-optic layers 310 and 320 include a black oil layer 310 disposedinside the opening between the partitions 350 and an aqueous solutionlayer 320 positioned between the black oil layer 310 and the commonelectrode 270.

The lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 210 may be flexiblesubstrates formed of glass, plastic, or a glass fiber reinforced plastic(FRP).

Gate electrodes 124 connected to a plurality of gate lines extending inone direction are formed on the lower substrate 110. A gate insulatinglayer 140 formed of silicon nitride (SiNx) is formed on the gate linesand the gate electrodes 124.

A semiconductor layer 154 formed of hydrogenated amorphous silicon isdisposed on the gate insulating layer 140. The semiconductor layer 154forms a channel of the thin film transistor. A data line and a drainelectrode 175 are disposed on the gate insulating layer 140 and thesemiconductor layer 154. The data line extends in a directionperpendicular to the gate line, intersecting the gate line, and a branchextended from the data line forms a source electrode 173. At leastportions of a pair of a source electrode 173 and drain electrode 175 arepositioned on the semiconductor layer 154, and are separated from eachother and are disposed on opposite sides of the gate electrode 124.

An ohmic contact (not shown) is positioned between the semiconductorlayer 154, and the source electrode 173 and the drain electrode 175,thereby reducing contact resistance therebetween.

A passivation layer 180 formed from an insulating material such assilicon oxide or silicon nitride or an organic material, is formed onthe source electrode 173, the drain electrode 175, the semiconductorlayer 154, and the gate insulating layer 140.

A pixel electrode 190 formed of a transparent conductive material suchas ITO (indium tin oxide) or IZO (indium zinc oxide) is disposed on thepassivation layer 180.

The passivation layer 180 has a contact hole 185 exposing the drainelectrode 175. The pixel electrode 190 is physically and electricallyconnected to the drain electrode 175 through the contact hole 185.

An interlayer insulating layer 95 is formed on the pixel electrode 190,and the interlayer insulating layer 95 is formed of an inorganicinsulating layer such as silicon nitride (SiNx) or an organic insulator.The interlayer insulating layer 95 may have a leveling function ofremoving a step generated between the neighboring pixel electrodes 190.

In this embodiment, the partitions 350 are formed on the interlayerinsulating layer 95. The partitions 350 are disposed in a matrixformation having walls and openings defining a pixel area, and may beformed of an organic layer that may include a black dye.

A photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer 97 (UV/light reactivefluorosurfactant) having lyophobicity and that is phase-separated bypositioning a fluorine-based material thereon is formed on theinterlayer insulating layer 95 between the openings of the partitions350. The photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer 97 includes aphotoreactive material that reacts with ultraviolet light and afluorine-based material. This layer is positioned such that thephase-separation is generated by the action of ultraviolet light on thephotoreactive material of the surfactant layer.

Suitable fluorine-based materials included in the photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant layer 97′, including various materials, suchas for example “Megaface™ RS-72-K (manufactured by DIC Co. Ltd)”.

Another example of the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant 97′ is amaterial that includes a compound having a perfluoro alkyl group and aphotoreactive material. In addition, a material having a photoreactivegroup and a compound having a perfluoro alkyl group are furtherexamples.

In this example, the perfluoro alkyl group is a material of which all ora portion of hydrogen atoms in a hydrocarbon are substituted withfluorine atoms.

The photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer 97 will be furtherdescribed later in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23.

A water-repellent layer 96 is formed in the opening and on thephotoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer 97. The water-repellentlayer 96 is formed of a hydrophobic insulating material (for example,AF1600 from DuPont Co. Ltd).

A black oil layer 310 is formed on the water-repellent layer 96.

Meanwhile, a black matrix 220 having openings is formed under the uppersubstrate 210, and a color filter 230 is formed in the openings of theblack matrix 220. The color filter 230 may include a pigment thattransmits only a predetermined wavelength or that may be formed of aquantum dot (semiconductor nanocrystal) material. The quantum dotmaterial is a semiconductor material having a crystalline structure witha size of several nanometers and includes several hundred to severalthousand atoms, and since the size thereof is so very small, the surfacearea per unit volume is very large, resulting in a quantum confinementeffect. Accordingly, the quantum dot material has unique physical andchemical characteristics that are different from the correspondingoriginal characteristics of the semiconductor material from which it isformed.

For color display, each pixel PX uniquely represents one of primarycolors (i.e., spatial division) or alternatively, each pixel PXsequentially represents one of the primary colors in turn (i.e.,temporal division), such that a spatial or temporal sum of the primarycolors is recognized as a desired color. An example of a set of primarycolors includes the colors red, green, and blue.

A planarizing layer 250 is formed under the color filter 230 and theblack matrix 220, and a common electrode 270 is formed under theplanarizing layer 250.

An aqueous solution layer 320 is formed between the partition 350 andthe black oil layer 310, and the common electrode 270. The aqueoussolution layer 320 does not mix with the black oil layer 310.

Surface tension of the aqueous solution layer 320 is not changed in thepixel B in which an electric field is not formed between the pixelelectrode 190 and the common electrode 270 such that the black oil layer310 covers the entire pixel B. Accordingly, the light incident from alower side is not transmitted to the upper side, and black(corresponding to no color) is displayed.

In the pixel A, the surface tension of the aqueous solution layer 320 ischanged by an electric field is formed between the pixel electrode 190and the common electrode 270 causing the black oil layer 310 to berepelled by the applied electric field and accumulates at one side ofthe pixel, thereby opening the corresponding pixel A to permit lighttransmission. Accordingly, the light incident from the lower side istransmitted to the upper side and the pixel A displays a color accordingto the color of the filter 230.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the color filter 230 may beomitted, and when the flat panel display according to the presentinventive concept does not include the color filter 230, the pixel Atransmits all wavelengths of light and displays white such that the flatpanel display may be used as a black and white display device.

To describe the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer 971 indetail, FIG. 17 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of anelectrowetting display device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an electrowetting displaydevice according to this exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept, and only the lower substrate 110 is illustrated.

In FIG. 17, the thin film transistor (the gate electrode, the sourceelectrode, the drain electrode, and the conductor layer) formed on thelower substrate 110 is omitted, and only a structure of the pixelelectrode 190 is shown. Also, the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 17 is astructure in which the interlayer insulating layer 95 is not formed onthe pixel electrode 190. The interlayer insulating layer 95 may or maynot be included according to the particular exemplary embodiment.

A pixel electrode 190 is formed on the lower substrate 110. In FIG. 17,the pixel electrode 190 is shown to be integrally formed, however inpractice the pixel electrode 190 is electrically separated for eachpixel and FIG. 17 shows a schematic layer where the pixel electrode 190is formed and the boundaries for each pixel electrode are not shown.

A partition 350 is formed on the pixel electrode 190. The pixelelectrode 190 is hydrophilic, i.e. does not have lyophobicity (orhydrophobicity) such that there is no problem when forming the partition350 on the pixel electrode 190. Alternatively, in an exemplaryembodiment in which the interlayer insulating layer 95 is formed on thepixel electrode 190, the interlayer insulating layer 95 is hydrophiclic,i.e. does not have lyophobicity (or hydrophobicity) such that there isno problem when forming the partition 350 on the interlayer insulatinglayer 90.

A photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer 97 is formed in theopening of the partition 350 and on the pixel electrode 190 (or in theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 16, the interlayer insulating layer 95).The photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer 97 is phase-separatedas shown in FIG. 17. That is, in the photoreactive fluorine-basedsurfactant layer 97, the lyophobic fluorine-based material 97-2 isformed above and a light reactive material 97-1 that is hardened by thereaction to the ultraviolet (UV) rays or light is positioned below.

Next, a manufacturing method of an electrowetting display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive conceptwill be sequentially described with reference to FIG. 18 to FIG. 21 andwith reference to FIG. 17.

FIG. 18 to FIG. 21 are cross-sectional views showing each manufacturingstep of an electrowetting display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 18 to FIG. 21 sequentially show how each layer is formed on thelower substrate 110 of the electrowetting display device according tothe exemplary embodiment of FIG. 17.

Firstly, a pixel electrode 190 is formed on the lower substrate 110 inFIG. 18. In FIG. 18, the pixel electrode 190 is integrally shown toschematically show the formation position of the pixel electrode 190 asin FIG. 17, but in actuality, the pixel electrode 190 is formed for eachpixel and is separated for each pixel. Next, according to an exemplaryembodiment, an interlayer insulating layer 95 is formed on the pixelelectrode 190. The interlayer insulating layer 90 may be formed of aninorganic insulating layer such as silicon nitride (SiNx) or an organicinsulator, and may have the function of leveling any step that may havebeen formed between the neighboring pixel electrodes 190.

Next, a photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant 97′ is deposited on thepixel electrode 190 (in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 16, theinterlayer insulating layer 95). The photoreactive fluorine-basedsurfactant 97′ may be any one of various kinds, of photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant for instance the photoreactive fluorine-basedsurfactant 97′ according to the exemplary embodiment shown later in FIG.22 includes the fluorine-based material 97-2 (fluoro-group), aphotoreactive material 97-1′ (UV reactive group), and a photoinitiator97-3.

Next, as shown in FIG. 19, a region exposed by a mask 300 is exposed toultraviolet (UV) light. In the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant97′ exposed to the ultraviolet (UV) light, the photoreactive material97-1′ reacts and is cured and hardened such that the photoreactivematerial layer 97-1 is formed below and the fluorine-based material 97-2is formed above in the layer 97. Alternatively, in the photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant 97′ that is not exposed, the photoreactivematerial 97-1′ is not hardened and it is removed by a developer to formthe photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant 97. This photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant layer 97 is shown in FIG. 20.

Next, as shown in FIG. 21, a partition 350 is formed in the region wherethe photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant 97′ was not exposed and hasbeen removed. The partition 350 is formed on the pixel electrode 190 (oras in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 16, on the interlayer insulatinglayer 95). The partitions 350 are formed into the black matrix havingopenings and the openings define the pixel area such that the black oillayer 310 only moves inside the pixel area. Alternatively, thepartitions 350 may be formed on the organic layer including the blackpigment.

Next, referring back to FIG. 17, a water-repellent layer 96 is formedbetween the openings of the partition 350 on the photoreactivefluorine-based surfactant layer 97. A black oil layer 310 (not shown) isthen formed on the water-repellent layer 96 having hydrophobicity.

As described above, the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant isphase-separated by the exposure and is easily patterned by using thedeveloper to form the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant layer suchthat an adhesive force may be sufficient to adhere through thewater-repellent hydrophobic upper layer, and the hydrophilicity isprovided at the lower and lateral side to easily adhere to thepartition.

In an alternative embodiment of the inventive concept, the pixelelectrode 190 may be formed of a metal for reflecting light, or a metallayer (referred to as a reflecting electrode) reflecting light may befurther formed on the pixel electrode 190 to form a reflectiveelectrowetting display device.

The reactive material 97-1′ and a photoinitiator 97-3 in the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 22 are reactive with ultraviolet (UV) rays. As shownin FIG. 22, there may be multiple photoreactive materials 97-1′, or onlyone photoreactive material 97-1′. The one or more reactive groups 97-1′may be included separately as monomers or multimers, or linked to thefluorine-based material 97-2.

Examples of suitable photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant 97′, thereare various materials, and as one example, there is “Megaface RS-72-K(manufactured by DIC Co. Ltd). Here, Megaface is a brand name, andRS-72-K is a type number.

Further examples of the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant 97′include a material including a compound having a perfluoro alkyl groupand a photoreactive material, and a material having a group that isphotoreactive to a compound having a perfluoro alkyl group may also beincluded.

Here, the perfluoro alkyl group may be a material of which all or aportion of hydrogen atoms in a hydrocarbon is substituted with fluorineatoms.

The products of photoreaction by UV light are shown in FIG. 23 indetail. That is, if the photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant 97′ iscoated, the fluorine-based material 97-2, the photoreactive material97-1′, and the photoinitiator 97-3 are randomly arranged. However, thefluorine-based material 97-2 may be formed at the surface of thephotoreactive fluorine-based surfactant 97′ based on its intrinsichydrophobic characteristic. In this state the separated layers are nothardened and may be removed by the developer.

If this photoreactive fluorine-based surfactant 97′ is exposed toultraviolet (UV) light, the photoreactive material 97-1′ and thephotoinitiator 97-3 are reacted such that the hardened photoreactivematerial 97-1 is formed and disposed below, and the fluorine-basedmaterial 97-2 is disposed above within the layer 97. The fluorine-basedmaterial 97-2 is connected to the photoreactive material 97-1′ and isthen disposed above and hardened when the photoreactive material 97-1′is reacted and hardened. As a result, the photoreactive fluorine-basedsurfactant layer 97 is phase-separated into the fluorine-based material97-2 positioned in the upper portion of the layer and the hardenedphotoreactive material 97-1 is positioned below the hardenedfluorine-based material 97-2.

While this inventive concept has been described in connection with whatis presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is tobe understood that the inventive concept is not limited to the disclosedembodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrowetting display device comprising: afirst substrate and a second substrate; an electrode disposed on thesecond substrate; an insulating layer disposed on the electrode;partitions defined on the insulating layer, wherein the partitionspartition the insulating layer into pixel areas; a black matrix arrangedon the first substrate and including a first opening and a secondopening; a first color filter disposed on the first substrate in thefirst opening of the black matrix; a second color filter disposed on thefirst substrate in the second opening of the black matrix; and alyophobic layer formed on the insulating layer between the partitions,wherein the lyophobic layer comprises a lyophobic colloid material abovea polymer resin.
 2. The electrowetting display device of claim 1,wherein the first and second openings correspond to the pixel areas onthe insulating layer.
 3. The electrowetting display device of claim 1,wherein the first and second color filters comprise a pigment thattransmits only light of a predetermined wavelength.
 4. Theelectrowetting display device of claim 1, wherein the first and secondcolor filters comprise quantum dots disposed on the first substrate. 5.The electrowetting display device of claim 4, wherein the quantum dotscomprise a semiconductor nanocrystal material.
 6. The electrowettingdisplay device of claim 1, further comprising: a reflecting electrodedisposed on the second substrate.
 7. The electrowetting display deviceof claim 6, wherein the reflecting electrode is disposed between theelectrode and the insulating layer.
 8. The electrowetting display deviceof claim 1, wherein the partitions comprises a black dye.
 9. Theelectrowetting display device of claim 8, wherein the partitions overlapat least part of a thin film transistor arranged on the secondsubstrate.
 10. The electrowetting display device of claim 1, wherein atleast part of the black matrix overlaps at least part of a thin filmtransistor arranged on the second substrate.
 11. The electrowettingdisplay device of claim 1, wherein: the polymer resin comprises one of(i) an organic layer or (ii) a polyimide; and the lyophobic colloidmaterial is positioned above the polymer resin.
 12. The electrowettingdisplay device of claim 1, wherein a black oil layer is disposed on thelyophobic layer between the partitions.
 13. The electrowetting displaydevice of claim 1, wherein the lyophobic colloid material isphase-separated from the polymer resin.
 14. A method for manufacturingan electrowetting display device, comprising: providing a firstsubstrate and a second substrate; forming an electrode on the secondsubstrate; forming an insulating layer on the electrode; formingpartitions on the insulating layer, wherein the partitions partition theinsulating layer into pixel areas; forming a black matrix on the firstsubstrate such that the black matrix includes openings; forming colorfilters on the first substrate and in the openings of the black matrix;applying a lyophobic colloid mixed liquid on the insulating layerbetween the partitions; pre-baking the lyophobic colloid mixed liquid tophase-separate the lyophobic colloid mixed liquid; and coupling thefirst substrate and the second substrate.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the openings correspond to the pixel areas on the insulatinglayer.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the color filterscomprises a pigment that transmits only light of a predeterminedwavelength.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the color filterscomprise quantum dots disposed on the first substrate.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the quantum dots comprise a semiconductor nanocrystalmaterial.
 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising: forming areflecting electrode on the second substrate.
 20. The method of claim14, wherein the lyophobic colloid mixed liquid comprises a mixtureincluding a lyophobic colloid material and a supporting layer material,and wherein the lyophobic colloid material is positioned above thesupporting layer material on the insulating layer between thepartitions.
 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising, afterpre-baking the lyophobic colloid mixed liquid, forming a black oil layeron the lyophobic layer between the partitions.
 22. The method of claim20, wherein the supporting material comprises at least one of a polymerresin of an organic layer or a polyimide (PI).
 23. An electrowettingdisplay device comprising: a first substrate and a second substrate; anelectrode disposed on the second substrate; an insulating layer disposedon the electrode; partitions defined on the insulating layer, whereinthe partitions partition the insulating layer into pixel areas; a blackmatrix arranged on the first substrate; and a lyophobic layer formed onthe insulating layer between the partitions, wherein the lyophobic layeris phase-separated such that the lyophobic layer comprises (i) lyophobiccolloid material and (ii) a polymer resin, and wherein: the polymerresin comprises at least one of (i) an organic layer or (ii) apolyimide; and the lyophobic colloid material is positioned above thepolymer resin.